The specter of empty countrysides and wetlands—Impact of hunting take on birds in Indo‐Burma

Abstract

Hunting for the wild meat trade, medicines and other human uses has decimated Indo‐Burma's vertebrate biota and has led to widespread defaunation. Yet, there is surprisingly little data on how hunting impacts wild bird assemblages in different landscapes here. Based on concurrent snapshot surveys of bird hunting, food markets and hunting attitudes across six Indo‐Burma countries, we found that hunting threatens species not only in forested landscapes but also wetlands and farmlands such as orchards and paddy fields—ecosystems overlooked by past studies, with at least 47 species associated with wetlands and agricultural lands identified from market surveys across the region. High rates of mortality are suffered when hunting tools such as nets are used to exclude perceived bird pests in both aquaculture and agricultural landscapes, with over 300 individual carcasses of at least 29 identifiable species detected in one aquaculture landscape sampled in Thailand. We warn that the potentially unsustainable trapping of species for consumption and trade in Indo‐Burma, coupled with high incidental mortalities, could decimate the populations of erstwhile common and/or legally unprotected species. There is an urgent need for stronger regulatory oversight on the hunting take of wild birds and the use of hunting tools such as nets. Alongside this, conservation practitioners need to better engage with rural communities to address unsustainable hunting practices, especially outside of protected areas.

Social and ecological drivers of illegal bird hunting in the Indawgyi wetland ecosystem in Myanmar

“…Thus, the ecological impact of bird hunting is not limited to just affecting the structure of the bird community through reduction in species richness and abundance (Benitez‐Lopez et al, 2017) but also implies the loss of ecosystem services that are crucial for human societies (Ramachandran et al, 2017). While hunting occurs in all bird habitats, the avifauna of wetlands are more vulnerable than others due to the predominant impact of anthropogenic exploitation, interacting with increased human accessibility and habitat degradation (Brotherton et al, 2020; Wetland International, 2010; Yong et al, 2022).…”

“…The impacts of hunting on wetland bird populations have been extensively recorded in many parts of Asia, and the bird harvest has already surpassed its sustainable thresholds (Gallo‐Cajiao et al, 2020). In seven countries of the Indo‐Burma region, a recent study by Yong et al (2022) revealed that 47 wetland bird species were trapped or netted in wetlands and associated cultivated lands. Large‐scale netting and trapping of birds is of particular concern in wetlands that overlap with global flyways (Wang et al, 2018).…”

“…Previous studies also suggested that hunting in the wintering grounds in Asia is the primary cause of species endangerment for Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola and Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea (Kamp et al, 2015;Zöckler et al, 2010). However, the impact of hunting on wetland avifauna has been largely overlooked in ecological research in this region as its conservation priorities have thus far emphasized charismatic megafauna, flagship species, and illegal wildlife trade (Yong et al, 2022). With a lack of conservation attention, the decline in avifauna has intensified and silently paved the way for the emergence of "empty wetlands," which could be more severe than the "empty forest" that caused mammal defaunation (Benítez-L opez et al, 2019;Yong et al, 2022).…”

Collateral damage from agricultural netting to open‐country bird populations in Thailand

“…Such netting is illegal in some areas, for example, Victoria, Australia (State Government of Victoria, 2019). In many Asian countries however, including Thailand, legal interpretation regarding restrictions on netting in agricultural landscapes is ambiguous, and regulations are poorly enforced; hence netting is still widely used (e.g., Yong et al, 2022). In addition to illegal intentional captures for local consumption (e.g., Chowdhury, 2010;Kasper et al, 2020;Xayyasith et al, 2020;Zöckler et al, 2010), recreation (e.g., Chang et al, 2019), merit-making release (e.g., Gilbert et al, 2012), pets (e.g., Harris et al, 2017;Nijman et al, 2018;Wang, Shi, et al, 2021), or trafficking (e.g., Heim et al, 2021;Heinrich et al, 2020), collateral damage through the use of nets and other preventive means is likely to be a significant threat to certain species.…”

“…Netting has long been indiscriminately used in pest management across different types of production landscapes in many regions including ricefields, other field crops, orchards, and aquaculture ponds (e.g., Anderson et al, 2013; Bomford & Sinclair, 2016; Russell et al, 2012; Wang et al, 2020; Yong et al, 2022), particularly in Indo‐Burma, one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots (Hu et al, 2020; Myers et al, 2000). Netting is widely believed to be the most effective, albeit costly, method of bird control (Anderson et al, 2013; Firake et al, 2016; Lindell, 2020).…”